Helplines
Samaritans
Call 116 123 to talk to a trained volunteer if you are struggling to cope with your mental health and need support.
Find out more from the Samaritans website.
Services
Hub of Hope
The Hub of Hope is the UK’s leading mental health support database. It brings local, national, peer, community, charity, private and NHS mental health support and services together in one place for the first time.
Find support that is right for you on the Hub of Hope's website.
The Brain Charity
The Brain Charity provides free practical help, emotional support and social activities for any person with a neurological condition (such as autism, ADHD, tourettes) as well as their family, friends, and carers.
Enquire about The Brain Charity phone befriending service, free counselling and mental health support, access practical help and many more topics.
To find out more, visit The Brain Charity website.
National Autistic Society
The National Autistic Society is the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. The provide advice and guidance, and campaign for the rights of autistic people.
- Advice and guidance: A page with a range of topics that relate to mental health.
- Online directory: This directory helps autistic people, their families and the professionals who work with them to find local and national services.
- Online community: This online community is for autistic people and their families to meet like-minded people and share their experiences.
Please be aware that the National Autistic Society does not offer a crisis or emergency service.
Find out more information on the National Autistic Society website.
ADHD adult UK
ADHD adult UK is a charity that provides evidence-based advice and coaching to support adults with ADHD.
ADHD adult UK offers resources, such as:
Find out more on the ADHD adult UK website.
Digital tools
Molehill Mountain
Molehill Mountain is an app developed by Autistica and Kings College London with input from autistic people, to help autistic people understand and self manage anxiety.
The app uses CBT techniques that have been adapted to better fit the needs of autistic people, and users can unlock tools and work through exercises and activities to manage their anxiety.
Find out more information about the app, how it works and how it was developed on the Autistica - Molehill Mountian webpage.
Spoken - tap to talk
The spoken - tap to talk app is for people who are unable to communicate using their voice. It is designed for teenagers and adults who are unable to use their voice and can help autistic people communicate.
Users can tap on the screen to build sentences quickly with a wide variety of natural-sounding voices to choose from.
Find out more from the Google store: spoken - tap to talk webpage.
Miracle Modus
Miracle Modus is an app that allows the users select multiple different soothing patterns and sounds in order to provide calming sensations. This can be used by autistic people to help with sensory overload.
Find out more from the Google store: miracle modus webpage.
Toolkits and guides
National Autistic Society
The National Autistic Society provide advice and guidance, and campaign for the rights of autistic people. They offer guides specific to mental health for autistic adults, specifically:
- Anxiety
- Autistic fatigue and burnout
- Bereavement
- Depression
- Self-harm
- Suicide
- Understand yourself guide: a downloadable guide, to help with understanding yourself, written and led by autistic people.
- Asking for reasonable adjustments: to help you understand what reasonable adjustments are when seeking help with mental health and support you to ask for adjustments you might need.
Find out more information on specific topics on the National Autistic Society advice and guidance page or website.
Shining a Light on Suicide
Shining a Light on Suicide have a safety plan which can be used to keep ourselves safe when going through difficult times. Safety plans can:
- Practical ways to make ourselves safe from suicide
- Positive ways we can distract ourselves from negative thinking and behaviours
- Who is there to give us support when we need it
- What we can do if we feel we are at immediate risk of harming ourselves
Access the safety plan or find out more on the Shining a Light on Suicide website.
Resources for Autism
Resources for Autism is a charity that provide practical services for autistic adults living in Birmingham, Walsall and London Boroughs. They offer downloadable resources for autistic adults for management of anxiety.
For more information, visit the Resources for Autism website to download resources.
Ambitious about Autism: know your normal
Ambitious about Autism have developed a toolkit called 'know your normal'.
This is a toolkit for autistic people to help them describe what their normal looks like, focusing on sleep, interests, hobbies and how they feel.
Find out more on the Ambitious about Autism: know your normal webpage.
NHS: autism guide
An NHS guide for people that are autistic or care for an autistic person.
Find more information on the NHS autism guide page
Autism Anglia: resources
Autism Anglia provides resources such as autism alert cards, information booklets and my autism passport.
Visit the Autism Anglia website to download these resources.